Boston Public Radio

The state senate has compromised on Gov. Baker's face recognition technology requests.

"it’s a shame when you’ve gotta get ministers to stand out in front of Charlie Baker’s residence,"

Even with COVID-19 vaccines rolling out, Steves says to put the brakes on planning.

The council passed three measures on Wednesday to reform the city's law enforcement.

Cabral called the success of voting rights groups "remarkable" and offered her prediction about the outcome of the state's two Senate runoffs in January.

BPR's top five must-listen moments from the year.

Today on Boston Public Radio: EJ Dionne talks about Governor Charlie Baker’s latest plan to distribute over two million rapid tests to Massachusetts towns in need, and the state of democracy in the U.S. Dionne is a columnist for The Washington Post and a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. His latest book is "Code Red: How Progressives And Moderates Can Unite To Save Our Country." Then, we ask listeners their outlook on climate change, after tornados sweeping through Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee left dozens dead and scores of buildings demolished. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III weigh in on Gen Z’s relationship with religion and a Black medical illustration going viral. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist, the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Price is the founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the inaugural dean of Africana studies at Berklee College of Music and co-host of the All Rev’d Up podcast. Shaleen Title shares takeaways from her recent academic paper on solutions to equity issues in cannabis laws, and the state of legalization and decriminalization of drug use across the country. Shaleen Title is a former Cannabis Control Commissioner who is now the Distinguished Cannabis Policy Practitioner in Residence at the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at Ohio State University. She is also the CEO and co-founder of the Parabola Center. Charlie Sennott discusses civilian casualties from the War on Terror that the U.S. military hid from the public, and how U.S. democracy compares to other countries. Sennott is a GBH News analyst and the founder and CEO of The GroundTruth Project. Brian O’Donovan previews this year’s return to an in-person Christmas Celtic Sojurn, and his inspiration behind the event. Brian O’Donovan is host of Celtic Sojourn on GBH. A Christmas Celtic Sojourn begins its holiday run tomorrow, with a sold out show in Rockport. Tickets are still available for shows at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston – www.christmasceltic.com. We end the show by talking with listeners their experiences with holiday yankee-swap events.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners their thoughts on the labor market, amid worker shortages and unionization fights to grow worker power. Mike Keiley gives tips on how to ethically and responsibly gift pets during the holidays, and debunks pet adoption myths from the pandemic. Keiley is the director of adoption centers and programs at MSCPA-Angell. Callie Crossley discusses Simone Biles’ pick as Time Magazine’s Athlete of the Year, and Jussie Smollett’s guilty verdict for lying about a staged racist, homophobic attack. Crossley hosts GBH’s Under the Radar and Basic Black. Andy Ihnatko teaches listeners how to best protect their passwords, after an annual list of most common passwords included “123456” and “password1.” Ihnatko is a tech writer and blogger, posting at Ihnatko.com. Sue O’Connell weighs in on the Supreme Court dismissing the Justice Department’s challenge to Texas’ restrictive abortion law, and the Ghislaine Maxwell trial for her involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking crimes. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and the South End News, as well as NECN's political commentator and explainer-in-chief. Sam Green previews his latest exhibit, “32 Sounds,” mixing visual, narrative, and live music components to create a “live documentary.” Sam Green is the director behind “32 Sounds,” showing this Saturday at Mass MoCA. We end the show by talking with listeners about which holiday traditions they’re keeping, ditching and beginning anew amid the pandemic.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd weighs in on the status of Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin on Build Back Better, and Hillary Clinton reading her would-be 2016 victory speech. Todd is the moderator of “Meet the Press,” host of “Meet the Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Then, we ask listeners how they feel about President Joe Biden and the Democrats’ domestic agenda and performance so far. Andrea Cabral talks about the overturned murder conviction of James Lucien, who spent 26 years in prison on a wrongful conviction by a corrupt police detective. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and the former Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She is currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Shirley Leung discusses Governor Charlie Baker’s legacy regarding Massachusetts businesses, and what businesses are doing to retain workers during the great resignation. Leung is a business columnist for The Boston Globe and a Boston Public Radio contributor. Elizabeth Turnbull Henry talks about the future of environmental action and Baker’s legacy on climate after the Transportation Climate Initiative and the New England Clean Energy Connect fell apart. Henry is president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts. Jon Gruber explains why the U.S. lags behind other developed nations in maternal health and infant mortality, and what Build Back Better could do to improve things. Gruber was instrumental in creating both the Massachusetts healthcare reform and the Affordable Care Act, and his latest book is “Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth And The American Dream.” We end the show by talking with listeners about a recent study that showed that men and loud talkers spread COVID-19 at higher rates.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners whether they think Vice President Kamala Harris is being treated unfairly by the media, and how women and people of color face double standards in politics. Art Caplan discusses the state of testing in the U.S., how the country went wrong by failing to push a broader testing regimen and the latest news on the Omicron variant. Caplan is director of the division of medical ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. Juliette Kayyem updates listeners on the status of the Jan. 6 investigation and gun laws in the aftermath of the Michigan school shooting. Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Corby Kummer talks about Guy Fieri’s latest restaurant in Boston, and why the government should end restrictions on what food people on federal food assistance programs can buy. Kummer is the executive director of the food and society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Ali Noorani explains why federal courts forced the Biden Administration to reinstitute the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, and how Build Back Better would affect immigration reform. Noorani is the president and chief executive officer of the National Immigration Forum. His forthcoming book is “Crossing Borders: The Reconciliation of a Nation of Immigrants.” We end the show by asking listeners whether golf courses should be scaled back given their negative impact on climate change.

Ahead of the opening of Guy Fieri’s Kitchen + Bar in the Theater District, food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio to share his thoughts on the celebrity chef’s second restaurant in Boston. Fieri, known for his eccentric taste in food, included menu items from his other restaurants, such as trash can nachos from Guy Fieri’s Tequila Cocina and Guy’s Famous BBQ Bloody Mary. Diners can also order specialties like Cajun chicken Alfredo, hot pastrami grinders, and candy apple sangrias. “It's like somebody has said, ‘let me think of everybody's secret food desires, and I'm gonna let it run rampant,’” Kummer said. “‘Here it all is, come on and let let loose your secret desires.’” Restaurant critics have largely panned Fieri’s restaurants, though Kummer notes that Bostonians should give Guy Fieri’s Kitchen + Bar a chance. “Enjoy yourself: nothing should be forbidden,” Kummer said. “This is about being libertine and being indulgent, which everybody needs to be every so often or else the food police are really going to be out of business.” Kummer is the executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.